Aboitiz enters telco arena via towers

With Aboitiz and Partners Group’s track record, strong partnerships, nationwide presence, and expertise, we are more than ready to deploy thousands of towers in the next 5 years.

The Aboitiz Group seeks to become a major player in the fiercely competitive telecommunications industry but it will be into the setting up of common towers that all telcos can use.

Its unit Unity Digital Infrastructure Inc. (Unity) looks to support the government’s drive to roll-out 50,000 towers by 2030.

Unity is a joint venture between Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) and Swiss-based global equity firm Partners Group.

Unity will set up and operate the towers and the support infrastructure across the country to complement efforts of mobile phone giants to enhance their connectivity and services.

“With Aboitiz and Partners Group’s track record, strong partnerships, nationwide presence, and expertise, we are more than ready to deploy thousands of towers in the next 5 years to ensure better connectivity,” Unity Chief Executive Officer Robin Sarmiento said.

Unity towers
“We fully support the government in its target of rolling out 50,000 more towers in the next decade, and our goal is to be the market leader in this new industry that will pave the way for inclusive digital transformation,” he added.

Unity had completed pilot tower sites in Cebu with three ready for installation, well ahead of schedule.

DSarmiento said, through AIC, Unity will exploit Aboitiz Group’s vast network of resources.

The group has over 100 years of operating experience in the Philippines, with a 37,000-strong workforce and operating business units all over the country.

“AIC has recently deployed over 300 small cell installations in Cebu and Davao for telcos, while the Aboitiz Group operates its own internal communications tower infrastructure,” he explained.

Solid foreign partner
Partners Group is a global private markets firm with USD 119 billion in assets under management (as of 30 June 2021) and over 1,500 employees across 20 offices worldwide.

Since 1996, Partners Group has invested over $150 billion in private equity, private debt, private real estate, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally.

Reference Link: Tribune